Climbing to the top!
by WriteHeart

Comment by nutzito:
yellowish borders of clouds do not look natural. Nice composition though

Climbing to the top!
by WriteHeart

Comment by xodiak:
Being a climber I understand that this might not have been possible but...

A slight fill on the rock (increase exposure a little maybe), giving the rock some 'life' while keeping the climber in silhouette would really have helped this shot.

Climbing to the top!
by WriteHeart

Comment by mpeters:
Good clean pic. I'd probably like a little less rock and a little more sky but thats a small opinion. ;) The dangling carabiners and other little thingamajig are a nice touch as they break up the shadow line of his back and leg.

chris 2.jpg
by WriteHeart

Comment by zardoz:
My comment for this one is the same as for �Chris 8�. Try cropping this one closer on the right and take off about half of the space above Chris's head.

Message edited by author 2007-04-05 23:57:15.

sheep4_001.jpg
by WriteHeart

Comment by zardoz:
I like this picture. It is technically spot-on and the low angle makes it unusual and really helps the composition.
I see from your profile that you want general comments on your technique. I�ll do my best to suggest what I can though I make no claims to being an expert :-)

It seems to me that you have the basics of the technicalities well sorted. Your pictures are well exposed and sharply focused. The weakness that strikes me most is your composition. Most of your pictures have the main subject dead centre. While there is nothing wrong with that in its self, it can make the picture a little predictable unless there is good reason for the subject to be dead centre. Try to find more unusual angles of view and think about the placement in the frame. I spend a lot of the time crouching down low or looking for things to stand on to try and find that unusual angle.

You need to watch your backgrounds more (see my comments on your other pictures). The background is as much a part of the picture as the main subject and the two must work together. It generally needs to either compliment or contrast the subject. This picture has a great background for the subject but most of your other pictures seem to have whatever happened to be there. Just moving your position slightly can have a huge affect on what the background will be. Also controlling the depth of field (DoF) can have a very significant effect on the background. To isolate a subject you want a shallow DoF, which will mean a large aperture. To make the subject part of the background and place it in context you want a bigger DoF, which means a smaller aperture.

I have left some more comments on your other pictures.

chris 8.jpg
by WriteHeart

Comment by zardoz:
The lighting and technical side of this picture are great as usual, however once again it is the composition and background that let it down. A shallower depth of field would have blurred the rocks and bank behind. As an experiment, try cropping the left hand side of the picture so that the subject almost touches the left hand edge. Crop the top down to just above his head and see what you think.

yellow flower.jpg
by WriteHeart

Comment by zardoz:
The focus and exposure is excellent! Unfortunately the composition lets it down. A shallower depth of field would have thrown the background further out of focus and made it less distracting. Also moving the camera angle slightly may have helped to get a few more leaves behind the flower-head and given a more pleasing result.

Climbing to the top!
by WriteHeart

Comment by RobMcGee:
oh cool.

Tying you a Fly for Fishing...Relax, have fun!!
by WriteHeart

Comment by Brookied:
good effort but i would have used a softbox to hide the reflection from the fly holder.

again good effort.

Always Plugged In
by WriteHeart

Comment by Brookied:
hi, TM's aside you could use this as a stock image, very strong feel to this